Addison has had her future mapped out since she was a little girl – pre-law degree from the University of Nebraska, getting into a top notch law school, followed by a career as a no-nonsense lawyer. She knows that a husband will come at some point, but she hasn’t figured that part out yet. One thing is certain, it’s not Bryce Portwood, the annoying class clown in her English class. Bryce has never taken anything too serious. Life’s too short to get all worked up and never have fun. The moment Addison Webster opened her mouth, he knew she needed to let her hair down, and he wanted to be the one to help her. Getting Addison to hang out was easy. Getting her to lighten up and trust him, not so much. Bryce has a plan. If he can get her to let go and have fun, maybe she’ll see he’s not so bad. If Bryce can just play it cool, maybe he can prove to her that he can fit into those well-laid plans after all.

Payton always had one rule she lived by, no boyfriends until after college. No one seemed to agree with her, even her own mother who had her at age sixteen. Returning to school after an accident that flipped Payton’s world upside down left her feeling out of control. Holding on to her rule seemed to be her only lifeline. Josh had been letting the past rule his life for too long. Finally being at school, he’d become his own man, and he’d been putting all that behind him. Just when he thought he had it all put together, life got crazy. Not only did his ex show back up, but Josh also found he couldn’t get Payton Whitmore out of his head. Once Josh convinces Payton to give him a shot, she’s so closed off that he wonders if it’s even worth it. Josh can tell there’s something special about Payton though, and as soon as he goes all in, he’s ready to show her that some rules are made to be broken. \\Playing by the Rules is the first book in the Portwood Brothers series. It's a full length novel (approximately 80,000 words and 466 printed pages).

Jackson wants the one thing he can’t have, his brother’s girlfriend. He tried to forget her, but even spending nine months in Afghanistan didn’t make him want her any less. Now he was heading home, a home he shares with his brother and the woman they both want. Emma believed that you should never follow your heart. She tried that once, and she ended up alone and broken. After she put the pieces back together, she decided she’d rather forget about love and just have fun. Who needed someone special anyway? Certainly not her. When both of them realize they are on they are on the same page, they embark in a hot, no-strings arrangement that satisfies their needs without getting their hearts involved. But when you play with fire, someone always gets burned.

Addison had always thought when she said, “I do” two years ago that it’d be forever. Madly in love, things were going along fine, great even, until she found out her husband was keeping secrets from her. Unable to deal with that on top of everything else in her life, she packed her bags and headed home to her parents. Bryce had been called a lot of things in his life, most of them he wouldn’t repeat. One thing he’s never been called was a quitter. He’d proven time and time again that when he set his mind to something, he succeeded at it. It might take some persistence and a little hard work, but he never gave up until it paid off. Bryce knows one way or another he was getting his wife back. He’d have to fight harder than he ever had before, but he’d do it for Addison, for them. He’d play dirty if he had to because he wasn’t going to lose. He was playing to win.

Wes had it all, an amazing job, a great family, and the best friends. He lives by the motto “work hard and play harder.” His only regret is the way things ended with his college girlfriend, Hailey. He knows he could have handled the situation better, and he has lived with that ever since the day they broke up. Hailey used to love her job, the city, and life. That was until she suffered the unimaginable at the hands of a coworker. Since the assault, life just isn’t the same, and she feels like she’s losing control. Now the job she loved is her personal hell, and the city she used to enjoy doesn’t seem so great. She’s got baggage, a lot of it, and so many regrets she can’t even count them all. When Wes learns that Hailey’s world has come crashing down around her, he finally puts his hurt and pride away and reaches out to the woman he once loved. Hailey may think she’s unlovable, but he’ll show her that she’s wrong. Wes is all in and ready to show her that she can depend on him. A little work never bothered him before especially when he’s playing for her heart.